Sunday, October 20, 2013

We spent the day at Oak Glen where we drove around the 5 mile circle visiting all the different farms and ranches. I wanted to pick apples; but learned earlier in the week that all the apples had been picked. Oh well, I guess I saved some money though. Our first stop was Riley's at Los Rio Rancho where we ate a picnic lunch on the grassy hill. After lunch we explored the country store, got a good smell of tri-tip and roasted corn. They have plenty of activities for the kids such as a petting zoo, hay rides, cider pressing and a nature trail.

After Riley's, we drove to http://www.snow-line.com/where they are famous for their apple cider mini donuts. For about $4 we got a dozen. You get to see how they are made and they come hot off the press to enjoy a warm snack. They were delish!

From there we went to Willowbrook Farm for their cider pressing. They are the only place we found that will sell the cider in a half gallon instead of a gallon. We did the half gallon for $9. After tasting the cider we made, we wished we would have bought the gallon. But I didn't want to spend $15-$16 on cider. It was a fun and labor intensive experience. The girls chose the apples they wanted from the variety they had in the very cold watered bucket and filled up a wooden basket. One girl put the apples in the pressing machine while the other one turned the crank. Luckily for me the girls did all the work with the help of a friendly employee.

Our next stop was Riley's Apple Farm where the girls had fun playing in a cabin type playhouse. They also had some archery, tomahawk throw, hayrides, cider pressing.

Our last stop was Oak Tree Village. I was hoping to try some apple pie at the famous Apple Annies; but the line was wrapped around outside, so I passed. This area was very crowded. We stayed only a few minutes since we were getting tired and didn't want to deal with the crowds. Oak Glen was definitely a fun and different experience.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

The Valencia Library was having a pumpkin party to decorate pumpkins using inexpensive and unique materials. Thanks to Nancy's Ranch for the pumpkin donations and the library, the girls had a great time decorating their pumpkin, eating cookie treats and listening to some great holiday music. Here are the pumpkins they made.